A snowflake by the water
by 10-Tinkerbell
Summary: [Chp. 3 up]Luna's life just seems to be getting worse by the day. One thing can make her feel better but the wait is taking too long. That is, until some one waits with her and helps her see that there are still people that love her. -HL-
1. A snowflake by the water

Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize of J.K Rowling's, sadly… I was inspired to write this story by the snow outside my window and I have always been a huge Luna/Harry shipper. Please read and review**.  
A snowflake by the water**

The fearful cold had forced the students inside the castle, attempting to bunch up by the fire, basking in its flickering warmth. It hadn't snowed yet... but she prayed, and that she did desperately, that it would. She was the only one. The only away from the relieving warmth, awaiting the first snowflake to fall from the darkening clouds. The only one that was able to be so open minded to believe in what might be the strangest things, the only one to hate herself for what she was. Her family: Destroyed. Her friends: She had none. Everything: Gone with in the blink of an eye. And for Luna Lovegood, the only way to see if she could really still feel pain, was for her to inflict it upon herself. And that she did and as proof, her arms were heavily decorated in red scars; some deep and some perfectly shallow and rigid. But no one knew. The only reason people noticed her was to point and laugh and tell her that she was out of her mind.

She had ignored it for much too long.

Away from all those who tormented and tortured her, Luna sat, alone by the lake who's water still rippled in the icy wind. Her cheeks were whipped pink by it's cold but she didn't mind. It was quiet outside and the only thing making fun of her was her reflection in the shallow water's edge. She kicked it away with her foot and stared blinkingly up at the sky waiting for her white salvation.

"Snow all ready!" she pleaded with the clouds.

"You think they'll answer you?" a voice said behind her.

She turned so quickly that her neck cracked and she found herself staring into bright emerald eyes. She followed his optics as he took seat beside her.

"So. Talking to the clouds?" Harry asked of her.

Luna meekly shook her head. "Waiting for the snow." she said, wringing her hands in her lap.

"I didn't think anyone would be out here. It's so cold." said Harry

Luna shrugged.

"What's wrong Luna? You don't seem like yourself?" he questioned curiously

"Nothing's wrong." she said defensively

"You can tell me you know..." he said slowly.

It was then when Luna realized that she wasn't the only one who's life was littered with tragic loss and suffering. She looked away from him. "I just wish that people would leave me alone." she said quietly

Harry frowned. He had never heard Luna complain about the way people treated her and had no clue of what to say.

"I wish.. I wish that people wouldn't point and laugh at me in the corridors. I wish that I had friends to turn to when everything piled up on top of me. I have nothing left to live for. I have no one left to know." she said sadly, tears welling in her eyes but she clung them to her eyelashes, desperate for them not to fall.

"You do have friends and you do have something left to live for. People will miss you if you were to die." Harry said.

"I have no friends, no one to miss me."

"You do so..." he argued

"Really?" she said, looking to him, disbelief written on her face "Whom?"

Harry bit his bottom lip. "Me.'' he said quietly. Luna remained silent. But inside, she felt something warm despite the cold temperature outside. Looking up at him, her insides were warmed with a delight that she had long forgotten. And for the first time in a long while, a smile teased at her lips as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you." she said with complete and utter gratitude.

"Your very welcome." Harry said, returning both her embrace and her smile. Luna opened her eyes in time to see flecks of white fall onto her nose, crossing her eyes to see it delicate design before it melted upon her skin. She laughed and got to her feet again, looking up at the sky, barely visible through the white forest. She laughed again and started twirling in circles with her tongue stuck out. Harry laughed and joined in her winter celebration, a smile lingering upon his face as the snowflakes fell onto his tongue. Luna held her arms out at her side still looking up at the sky the memory of the first snowflake by the lake still shining in her mind, where it would thrive, never to be forgotten…

Ever

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A/N: Well, that's it for now. Please review. I'm leaving it at a one chapter story for now unless I get a review or more requesting that I add to it.

-Chaotique


	2. Gliding Easily

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I am not J.K Rowling, If I were... I wouldn't be typing... on Freakin' FANFICTION!... Ahem. Well, I'm adding this chapter as a request from my reviewers... -Huggles reviewers, except Ally who stole my plot and Erika who threatened to take the beloved Harry Potter doll.- Aside from that little hugging... thing. Onto the chapter! Oh, and a heads up... There's a _little_ more blood and self mutilation in this chapter.

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Chapter 2: Gliding Easily

Luna sat the next day, quietly and alone at the Ravenclaw table, simply there for a late breakfast. Her silver fork was clutched between her fingers as she stabbed at her fried eggs. The rest of the Great Hall was empty except for several 7th year Hufflepuffs at the next table. The doors swung open and none other than Draco Malfoy stepped into the hall, shouldered by his cronies Crabbe and Goyle. A grin spread across his pale, pointed face as he spotted the quiet Ravenclaw youth, sitting alone. Luna hastily lowered her eyes down to her plate and she felt two -thumps- as Crabbe and Goyle sat themselves at her sides. She looked up at both of them and across the table as Draco sat down.

"Well, well, if it isn't Little Loony Lovegood." he teased

"What do you want?" Luna asked, a lot more bravely than she felt.

"Look at that boys, the little wimp is talking back." Draco sneered

Luna rolled her eyes and set down her fork, getting to her feet. But her shoulders were held by two forceful hands and she was pressed down into her seat.

"You aren't going anywhere Princess..." Malfoy sneered "You got any new stories for us Love? Anything about winged horses in the foribidden forests, or the crumpled horned... What was it?"

"Shove off Malfoy." Luna said boldly, kicking him from under the table and getting to her feet again. She climbed over the bench and walked off towards the wooden doors. She kicked them open and pushed her way through the crowds in the entrance hall. With sigh, she stared out at the snow littered grounds, only coming back down to earth as she felt hands press against the small of her back and she felt herself fall into the snow. She quickly got to her feet and turned around, hugging her books in her arms.

"You think you can kick me and get away with it Little Loony Lovegood?" Draco sneered, wand pointed right between her widened eyes. With a blast of gold light her books sprang from her arms and scattered themselves across upon the snow, open their blood stained pages.

Luna hastened to gather them on her hands and knees as Draco kicked her, watching with a smirk as her face dove into the snow.

"That teach you enough Lovegood?" he spat

Luna remained silent, pushing herself up out of the snow.

"I asked you a question, you gunna answer me little girl?" he said fiercly. Luna still did not reply as she busied herself with her books. With another blast of blue light, she was hovering in the air, shrieking.

"LET ME DOWN!" she shouted.

Malfoy Crabbe and Goyle snickered as students crowded around them.

"What do suppose is going on over there?" Hermione asked of Ron and Harry as they stepped outside.

"I dunno, lets go find out." Ron said simply. They started walking and Harry stopped as they saw Luna bobbing up and down over the crowd, screaming.

"Let her down Malfoy." Harry said, his voice rising over the laughs from the crowds.

"As you wish Potter." he sneered in reply, jerking her downwards and letting her fall onto the ice with a whimper.

She quickly grabbed all of her books and shoved through the crowds, running back up to the castle wth tears streaming down her face.

"Aw, look what you did Potter. You made the little freak cry." Malfoy said slickly.

Harry just turned to walk away.

"I can't believe anyone would stand up for her. She's so... weird." he said to his fellow Slytherins who each grimaced.

Harry stopped in his tracks and turned around, walking straight up to Malfoy. Once he was less than a foot away he punched Malfoy, right in the jaw.

"Harry!" Hermione squealed.

With one last glare, Harry left again and Hermione and Ron hurried to follow him.

"Your going to regret that Potter!" Draco yelled after them.

"Harry! Harry, what was that all about?" Hermione said

"Nothing." he muttered grimly, as they walked back up to the common room

Sobs were muffled against her pillow as Luna cried for yet another hour. 'They all think I'm weird,' she thought 'Every single one of them. They all hate me.' She sighed and turned over, facing up at the ceiling. 'I was right. None of them would care if I was gone.' she thought, her eyes were swollen and bloodshot and her cheeks were stained with the trails of tears. She glanced over at her bedside table where her alarm clock lay. Luna swung her legs over the side of the bed and pulled a chain from around her neck, dangling upon which was a silver key. She placed in into the keyhole and pulled the oak wood drawer open. Inside the wooden keeps, photographs and paper were scattered. She flung them aside with the back of her hand and pulled a small, silver knife that she had taken from dinner one night. Tears began to trail down her cheeks again as she slowly rolled her sleeve up to her elbow. She stared at the inside of her arm where her veins all ready showed deep scars, healed as sufficiently as they could be. She sighed again and slid the knife across the vein, breaking through her pale, sensitive flesh and drawing blood. Tightening her grip around the knife's metal handle she sunk it lower and lower, wincing as it sunk futher and further into her problems. She pulled the blade from her skin and began a new line, following the same pattern as before. With every scarlet droplet that fell against the knees of her pants, her sorrow seemed to vanish - Not completely... But it faded slowly.

"Just until the pain is gone. Just until the pain is gone." she told herself quietly as her vision started to blur.

"One more cut..." she slurred, pulling the knife from the pool of blood, amazed at how it glided so easily across her skin.

"Only..." She sunk the tip into her skin, grazing around her wrist.

"One..." She muttered, biting her lips as she forced the blade deeper.

"More..." She pulled the knife from the depths of her broken skin as she passed out on the floor.

That was the last thing she remembered.

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A/n: Mwaaahhh! And now, I leave you hanging... I'm going to add another chapter but only once I get one or two more reviews asking me to... -evil grin- 


	3. Awake

Disclaimer: I own nothing... Blah, Blah... It's belongs to the honourable J.K Rowling... Yada, Yada...

A/N: Merci lots for all the review! Oh, and the punching Malfoy and Luna cutting bit was necessary for my plot... Sad as it may be. See, now this chapter is more...meh..._romantic..._ If you can call it that…

Chapter 3: Awake

Pale eyes fluttered open and Luna found herself staring wildly around the hospital wing.

"Wh-what happened?" she muttered to no one in particular. She didn't even notice that Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting next to her bed. Nor that Madam Pomfrey was busying herself at her side.

"Two girls brought you down here last night. You fainted." Hermione said quietly.

Luna groaned. And looked around again, now that her eyes were steadied.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked gently

"Oh, Brilliant." she muttered sitting up in her bed.

"Do you remember what happened?" Ron asked

Luna remained silent, clearly thinking. A moment or so later, Harry saw her glance at her wrists and shake her head as Madam Pomfrey walked away, to her office.

"No, can't remember a thing." she stated

"We're going to miss breakfast." Ron muttered.

"Oh, don't be so insensitive Ron." Hermione scolded

Luna laughed. "Nah, he's right... you should go. It's Saturday, you can't sit here all day."

Ron grinned and leapt to his feet, bounding to the door. Hemione rolled her eyes and followed

"Aren't you coming Harry?" she asked once at the door.

"I'll be along in a minute or so." he smiled

Hermione nodded and left.

"Why'd you stay?" Luna asked quietly

"Why did you do that?" Harry asked, ignoring her qustion completely.

"Do what?" she asked innocently.

"I'm not an idiot." he said earnestly

Luna sighed. "No one would have cared." she said simply

"I would have." Harry said

Luna looked up at him with a wry smile. "You don't mean that..." she muttered, staring over his shoulder.

"Yes I do..." he said slowly.

"Trust me you don't mean that, and if I were you... I'd leave."

"Why on earth would I leave?" Harry asked confused.

Luna bit her lip

"I told you, you were going to regret that Potter..." A drawling voice sneered from behind him.

"That's why." Luna muttered quietly, wishing she could shrink away into nothing. As Malfoy raised his wand at Harry, Madam Pomfrey came bustling out from her office.

"Is there a problem here?" she said in her stern disapproving voice.

"No M'am… No problem." Malfoy mumbled. He wasn't enough of a fool to pick a fight right under the watchful eye of the school matron. He turned to leave and beckoned for his cronies to follow. Madam Pomfrey shook her head and returned to her office, muttering inaudibly to herself all the while.

"Lousy git." Harry stated simply.

Luna smiled, her first sincere smile in a while.

"I never though it bothered you..." Harry said thoughtfully, without looking up at her.

"Never thought what bothered me?" Luna asked

"The taunting. People laughing and such… Mind you, Malfoy was way out of line…" he said, finally meeting her eyes

"I never did… But, I guess that was because my dad was always telling me that it shouldn't. He always seemed to make every problem, no matter how big or small, disappear…" she explained sadly.

Harry urged her to continue to with a simple look

"He died during the summer. " Luna muttered, almost to quietly for him to hear. She suddenly felt tears stinging behind her eyelashes and soon found that she could no longer restrain them. They spilled down her cheeks and trailed down her neck as sobs overcame her fragile frame. Harry pulled into a tight, gentle embrace, stroking her hair in attempt to calm her down. He let her cry freely onto his shoulder, edging his chair closer to the side of her bed. A few moments later once she had calmed down, she pulled away from him.

"Are you all right?" Harry asked her, watching her intently

Luna nodded and tried a smile, wiping her eyes with her fingertips. "I'm fine. I'm really sorry about that…" she added, looking wearily up at him.

"You've got nothing to apologise for." He told her earnestly as Madam Pomfrey reappeared into the wing.

"Your free to go Miss. Lovegood." She said shrewdly, simply.

Luna nodded to show that she had heard her and got to her feet, sliding them into her shoes. She and Harry left the hospital wing and turned down the left corridor. Luna stopped at the marble staircase where Harry would mount and she would continue down the torch-lit hallway. Harry turned to look at her and found that she was smiling, the difference upon her face was impossible to miss.

"Thank you Harry… For everything." She said quietly, standing on tiptoe and gently touching her lips against his cheek. She turned to leave, a slight tinge of pink dazzling her cheeks. But that was nothing compared to the shade of scarlet that Harry himself had turned.

"N-no Pr-prob-problem…" he stammered, touching the spot where she had kissed him and climbing the stairs.


End file.
